updated 02:20 pm EDT, Tue April 10, 2012

Adobe Reader now takes digital signatures

Users of Adobe's free Reader apps got a major upgrade Tuesday through the ability to digitally sign PDF files. Both the desktop Reader X, as well as mobile apps for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play), can now sign either by hand-drawing or typing. Mobile users also now get much-requested support for filling out forms as well as annotating or commenting on documents.

If linked to Adobe's EchoSign, app users can pass on documents to get others to sign and verify whether or not they're cleared to be sent. The files themselves are stored in EchoSign's cloud system to make them easy to fetch later.

Reader X demands either OS X Leopard or newer on the Mac, or Windows XP and later on PCs. Android users running mobile Reader get full support for both phones on Android 2.2 or newer and tablets on 3.0 or newer. It remains a universal app for iPads and iPhones, where iOS 4.2.5 or newer is the minimum.